Are you familiar with... the friezes in the metro?

From 1900 and the start of metro operations by the CMP, the corridors were decorated with bevelled white tiles (7.5 x 15 cm), accompanied by a pale blue frieze with a diamond pattern at the top and a skirting board in the same colour at the bottom, which was gradually complemented by other shades: green, brown and honey. The decoration of the stations remained very sober, with a vault entirely covered with the famous bevelled white tiles that reflected the light from the electric bulbs and enhanced their efficiency. The station names and advertisements were affixed directly to the wall, without any additional decoration.

While the CMP operated almost the entire metro network, its competitor, the North-South Company, appeared in 1902, building and operating lines 12 and 13. To differentiate itself, it paid particular attention to the architecture and design of its stations. The space was airy, and the wider station arches were decorated with ceramic tiles that stretched from one platform to the other. The platforms were punctuated by alternating station names written in tiles, enhanced by geometric patterns that evoked garlands and sets of advertising displays, framed by ceramic picture rails. The latter and the station names are embossed and decorated with a motif of intertwined oak leaves, punctuated at the corners and sides by a monogram bearing the company's coat of arms, formed by the intertwined letters N and S. The corridors are even more impressive: they are lined with friezes featuring a wave pattern and advertising frames decorated with the initials. The colour of the frieze is not chosen at random! It indicates the type of station: honey brown for simple stations and green for connections or terminus stations.

From 1920 onwards, under the influence of the Nord-Sud line, the CMP decided to follow suit and brighten up its decor. The company installed advertising frames in all new stations, decorating them with plant and flower motifs topped with a lotus flower. The station names were made of ceramic or blue enamel plaques. In the corridors, new designs appeared on the friezes: flowers, double diamonds, clovers and stars, all in honey or brown. On the extensions built between 1939 and 1952, Art Deco geometric shapes dominate, while the decoration above the advertising frames echoes the capital M of the first metro logo, which appeared in 1937.

The Metro Renewal Programme, launched in 1998, consists of a contemporary reinterpretation of the identity and style of the historic metro (enamelled signage, bevelled white tiles, coloured friezes in the corridors), albeit in a simplified form. The decorative variety of patterns and colours of the tiles that appeared during the first 50 years of the network has been reduced to two patterns (diamond and wave for the old North-South network) and three colours (brown, green and blue). From the station entrances to the platforms, the Renouveau programme retains the frieze at eye level to guide passengers, with a few specific features for the larger stations. The Nation and Bastille are therefore given a particular frieze in metallic tones, silver and gold, respectively. At Châtelet–Les Halles, new motifs are chosen to distinguish the different sectors of this vast transport hub: Seine (blue), Rivoli (gold), and Canopée (silver).